White working class Americans have become "lazy" and might have to replaced in the workforce by "new Americans" emigrating from other countries, The Weekly Standard editor at large Bill Kristol said this week.

Immigrants are the future of the United States, just like they were at the beginning of the 20th century, Kristol told author Charles Murray during a videotaped event.

"Look, to be totally honest, if things are so bad as you say with the white, working class, don't you want to get new Americans in?" Kristol said.

"Basically if you are in free society, a capitalist society, after two, three, four generations of hard work, everyone becomes kind of decadent, lazy, spoiled, whatever," Kristol said.

"Then, luckily, you have these waves of people coming in from Italy, Ireland, Russia, and now Mexico, who really want to work hard and really want to succeed, and really want their kids to live better lives than them, and aren't sort of clipping coupons or hoping that they can hang on and, meanwhile, grew up as spoiled kids and so forth. In that respect, I don't know why this moment is that different from the early 20th century."

Kristol was likely referring to President Donald Trump's recent executive action that put a temporary halt to immigrants and refugees from seven countries with a terror presence entering the U.S. The debate over the order has been fierce, and it is now in the court system. For now, the directive has been lifted.

White working class Americans have become "lazy" and might have to replaced in the workforce by "new Americans" emigrating from other countries, The Weekly Standard editor at large Bill Kristol said this week.